WASHINGTON, D.C. (Oct. 11, 2017) – The House Natural Resources Committee is considering a bill, H.R. 3990, that would be a direct assault on our national monuments and more than a century of conservation, the National Wildlife Federation said.

Collin O’Mara, the National Wildlife Federation’s president and CEO, made the following statement about today’s hearing on the bill:

“Let’s be crystal clear: If the provisions in this bill had been in place for the last century instead of the Antiquities Act, the Grand Canyon, Arches and Acadia national parks or even Devil’s Tower would not be what they are today. If this bill passes, even existing national monuments could be carved up, paved over or opened to mining and drilling under arbitrary criteria and a process that shuts out the public.

“Nothing less than our nation’s public lands heritage and a core part of our American identity is at stake, and the National Wildlife Federation, its state affiliates and supporters will fight to preserve the legacy built by Theodore Roosevelt and his successors from both parties.”